


Negative World

by MarrowInTheBone



Category: Original Work
Genre: Aliens, Angst, Crying, Gen, Memory Loss, POV Third Person Limited, Reality Bending, Science Fiction, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-10 05:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15942320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarrowInTheBone/pseuds/MarrowInTheBone
Summary: Scientists have successfully made contact with aliens. Things can only get better from here.





	Negative World

When scientists first made contact with aliens, it was in the form of a rather long digital message retrieved via satellite. It was, of course, gibberish to the human scientists, as it consisted of arrows that pointed in multiple directions and repeating symbols that were theorized to be part of the aliens’ alphabet. However, it wasn’t the content of the message that mattered––it was the deliverance of the message that did, a sign that humanity wasn’t alone. Excited by the finding, the scientists sent another message back to show that they had received the alien’s message, and then waited for something to come back. Nothing was returned, however.

Nevertheless, this did not stop the media fervor. Bold headlines shouted about the existence of extraterrestrial life, news anchors chattered incessantly of the pros and cons of interplanetary relations and people everywhere were talking about it. Everyone seemed to be ecstatic. This included Marty and his group of friends, who were currently eating at a pizzeria.

“What do ya think that message means?” Lyle, his younger brother, asked, eating a piece of hamburger pizza.

Marty shrugged, grabbing the parmesan and adding a gratuitous amount of it to his pepperoni slice. “Dunno. Looks like directions to me, with all those arrows."

“Directions to where, though?” Patricia questioned, taking a small bite out of a slice with mushrooms on it.

“Probably nowhere,” Dania replied,waving her supreme pizza slice around. “It was probably just a prank message from some dude with the know-how and a computer.”

Patricia frowned. “I doubt someone could do that without anybody knowing it came from Earth."

Dania shrugged. “Hey, there are some pretty smart people out there that know how to encrypt and junk or whatever,” she pointed out, taking a huge bite out of her slice. “All I’m saying isth that ya need a bit of sthkepticthism." She pulled her phone out of her pocket, swallowing down her food. “We better skedaddle; that movie’ll start soon.”

Agreeing with at least that notion, they called over a waiter, paid their bill and left for the movie theater.

~

Some days had passed, and the media frenzy over the message had entered a calm state; nothing had returned yet, and many people were proposing what Dania had. What if it were just some cruel prank? Marty didn’t really know what to make of the situation; however, if it were a prank, then he had to give kudos to whomever did it, because they had fooled nearly everybody.

Marty and Lyle were just at their apartment today, binge-watching shows on Netflix due to the inclement weather. In between episodes, Lyle got up to mist the leaves of his pet green anole’s vivarium. Lyle had taken care of the lizard for his whole life, even witnessing him hatch out of his egg.

“Hmm,” Lyle hummed out.

“Something wrong with Greenie?” Marty called out, looking over the couch he was on.

Lyle was staring at Greenie through the glass. “It’s nothing; I just think he’s gotten bigger,” Lyle observed before coming back to the sofa and sitting down. “Say, have ya heard anything from Ma and Pa about coming over?”

Marty scratched his cheek. He could feel the beginnings of a beard; he ought to shave soon. “No, odd enough. Think I should call ‘em?”

Lyle shook his head, grabbing the remote. “Nah, they’ll call soon enough,” he concluded before pressing play, allowing the next episode to load.

~

A few days passed with still nothing to report.

As Marty was watching a section of the news that was talking about recent strange behavior from animals, he heard the door open. The “hello” he expected never came, and Lyle instead went straight to the kitchenette. That wasn’t good.

“What’s the matter, bro?” Marty asked him, standing up and following him.

Lyle had a confused and upset look on his face as he set down a plastic grocery bag on the dining table. “It was Tim at the store. He forgot my name."

Marty quirked an eyebrow. “Are you certain it was Tim?” While Tim was an acquaintance at best with them, he at least knew their names.

Lyle nodded his head once. “Positive. He eventually just referred to me as your brother." He sighed. “I dunno, maybe I’m just being sensitive, but it bugged me.”

That was extremely odd. Lyle visited the store way more often than Marty did, so for Tim to remember his name and forget Lyle’s...

“Eh, maybe Tim’s just having an off day,” Marty tried to explain.

Lyle shrugged, still seeming off-put.

~

Eventually, Marty had enough of waiting and got ahold of his parents. Unfortunately, it was just Ma, and she only said that they couldn’t make it and that she needed to do something; she then hung up, leaving Marty to tell a disappointed Lyle. Luckily, Patricia and Dania were there to uplift the two by inviting them to the mall.

“It’s just not like them,” Marty complained. They were currently just walking around, window-shopping.

“They must have a good reason, then,” Patricia reasoned. “What did she tell you?”

Marty simply shrugged, stuffing his hands in his red hoodie’s pockets. 

“She just said they couldn’t come over,” Lyle filled in for him. “And then she hung up. She didn’t explain much of anything.”

“Maybe you’re just overthinking it,” Dania suggested. “I mean, the weather’s been real weird these past few days. That’s probably why they don’t wanna come over right now.”

Marty sighed. “Maybe––”

He bumped into someone, cutting himself off short. “Sorry,” he automatically apologized before noticing whom it was: Warren, a short man who used to be a childhood friend. “Oh, uh, hi, Warren,” Marty greeted awkwardly.

Warren only glared at him, his mouth set in a sneer. Looking to ease the tension, Marty looked to Warren’s side to see a very tall person beside him, easily towering over them all. “Who’s your friend?”

Warren scoffed. “None of your business. Now get out of our way,” he gruffed out, walking past them all with his friend following close behind.

“What was that guy’s problem?” Dania asked with a bitter tone, a frown on her face.

“He used to be a friend,” Marty explained, rubbing the back of his head, “until something came between us and it ended badly.”

Patricia seemed mildly disturbed by that. “What happened?”

Marty opened his mouth to explain before pausing, racking his brain for the answer. A quick glance at Lyle proved him equally as perplexed.

“I... I don’t remember.”

~

Lyle began to spend time with the old man, Mr. Granger, next door. According to Lyle, he had helped Mr. Granger carry in some groceries, and a friendship had formed from there.

“When did he move in?” Marty asked, trying to remember. It seemed as if Mr. Granger had just appeared.

“I’m pretty sure he’s been here long before us,” Lyle answered, dropping crickets into Greenie’s vivarium. Lyle had been right; Greenie was growing.

Marty chortled. “So, how much does he talk about the good ole days?”

“Oh, hardy-har-har,” Lyle fake-laughed, side-eyeing Marty. He turned back toward Greenie and mumbled to himself, “At least he remembers my name...”

Marty heard it, however. “I thought that was just Tim,” he said, surprised. 

Lyle put the lid of the vivarium back on, sighing. “No. A lot of my colleagues have just... forgotten my name...” he trailed off, staring at Greenie as he chased the crickets. “I mean, I wasn’t really close with any of them, but... Maybe I’m just forgettable.”

“Hey,” Marty began in an admonishing tone. This was uncharacterisitic of Lyle. He wasn’t the kind to put himself down. Marty walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t even turn toward him. “Don’t say things like that. You are _not_ forgettable.”

Lyle groaned, holding his face in his hands. “I know, I know. I don’t know why I said that. I’ve just...” he sighed, running his hands down his long face. “I-It’s been a long week.”

“Wanna talk about it?” Marty asked, to which Lyle shook his head.

Lyle grabbed the nearest chair and slid it underneath himself before sitting. “No, I’ll be fine,” he assured, resting his head on his arms on the table. Greenie came up to the glass, gazing at him. If Marty didn’t know better, he would say Greenie looked concerned.

“If you say so...” Marty let it go hesitantly, leaving his brother to his pet.

Without his brother to talk to, Lyle placed a fingertip on the glass right in front of Greenie. Greenie returned the gesture, placing his hand atop his finger.

~

“Since when was Dania into sports?” Marty asked Patricia as they (including Lyle) watched her in a game of soccer. It was honestly scary watching her play, what with how fiercely she was competing.

Patricia gave Marty a weird look before schooling her features into a more neutral look. “She’s a sports fanatic, Mart,” she answered. “She has been playing sports for as long as I can remember. I’m surprised you have never known.”

Marty said nothing else, and instead continued watching. There was no way she had always been a fan of sports; wouldn’t she have mentioned it _at all_ before inviting them to watch her play today? Then again, maybe it was just him. He had been very forgetful lately...

Dania made the final shot as the game ended, making her team victorious. She whooped and cheered as Marty, Patricia and Lyle came up.

“Great job, Dania!” Lyle congratulated, making Dania smile.

“Hey, thanks!” She paused, her smile turning a bit uncertain. “Say, by the way... how do you know my name?”

Lyle appeared stunned for a moment before laughing nervously. “Okay, _very funny_ , Dany, but c’mon; you know me,” he said, a slight, barely audible break in his voice.

She shook her head, taking a step back. “Listen, man: I don’t know you. Are you a friend of Marty’s or something?”

Lyle, wide-eyed, sputtered several times, making indistinct gestures with his hands, before managing to get out, “I’m his twin brother! I––I––!” He stopped, dropping his hands––his shock turning into a sad resignation. “I’m leaving,” he flatly said before walking off.

“Bro!” Marty called out, but Lyle just ignored him. Marty turned to the two girls, his visage incredulous. “What was that for?”

Dania raised her hands. “Woah, dude. It’s not my fault you never introduced your own bro to us. What’s up with that, anyhow?”

Marty brushed off her words and faced Patricia. “You have to realize how ridiculous this is,” he pleaded with her.

Patricia seemed conflicted, looking between Dania and him. “Marty,” she started deliberately slow, “I didn’t know him either. I assumed he was a friend you had brought along. You’ve never shown us him before.”

“He’s been your friend since three years ago!” he shouted angrily, causing many among the crowd that surrounded them to shift their gazes onto them.

Patricia took a cautious step forward, raising a hand. “Marty, are you alright? Maybe we should take you to a doctor––”

“No!” Marty exclaimed, shoving her hand away. “I-I can’t believe you two right now!” He then stomped off, leaving the concerned two.

~

The door wasn’t locked when Marty returned to their apartment room, meaning that Lyle was currently sulking away in there. He opened the door slowly, peering inside. “Lyle?” he called out.

He could see Lyle, standing in the middle of the room while he blankly stared at his phone. Marty came inside, shutting the door behind him. “Are you okay?”

The question snapped Lyle out of his thoughts, as he flicked his gaze toward Marty. “No,” he plainly said, shaking his head to and fro. “No, no, I’m not.” His hands were shaking now as he presented his phone screen to Marty. It showed his contacts. “I tried calling our parents, and you want to know what happened?”

Marty wasn’t sure he really wanted to, but he nodded.

Lyle brought the phone back to his chest. “Some random person picked up. They told me that they had had that number for a while.” Lyle was back to looking at his phone, a watery gleam to his eyes. “So, I thought maybe I could look up their numbers, you know? But when I want to type in their names...” Lyle peered up, looking Marty straight in the eyes. “I realized that I don’t remember their names. Bro, I don’t even know our _last_ name.”

_Our last name_ ––Marty’s mind suddenly went entirely blank. What... What was their last name? How did neither of them know that?! Marty immediately looked toward their coffee table, which still had the morning mail on it. He rushed toward them, hastily picking up the pile and ruffling through them. Even though their surname should have been listed alongside their first names, there was no sign of it whatsoever.

A sob broke through his rising panic and confusion, and he looked up to see that Lyle was crying now. “B-Bro,” he sobbed out, “do w-we even _h-h-have_ parents? W-Where did we even c-come from?” He fell to his knees, his phone clacking against the wooden floor. “I-I can’t even remember my ch-childhood, or-or how we met P-Patty and Dany, and-and...” He wrapped his arms around himself. “H-How do I even know I e-e-exist?”

Marty was at a loss for words; he didn’t know what to say to comfort his brother, who had never cried like this before. So, he joined him on the floor, placing a reassuring hand on his back. “It’s fine, bro,” he lamely muttered as Lyle’s tears continued to hit the floor.

~

Lyle stayed in his bedroom for the next day, and Marty didn’t want to face the girls, so he simply watched the TV. There were several news reports of highly volatile crop growth, with some pictures on screen showing humongous plants. One farmer was showing a news anchor her fields, which were dotted with unnaturally massive beans.

Suddenly, Marty heard a crash and flop, startling him and making him look over the couch. At first, he didn’t notice anything; then, he caught sight of the lid of the vivarium, flat on the countertop. Then, his eyes trailed down to the floor, where a giant green anole was looking him dead in the face.

Marty was speechless as the green anole flared his pink throat poach once and skittered away toward where Lyle’s bedroom was.

Marty snapped out of his stupefaction and launched himself over the couch, his boots heavily clomping against the wooden floor as he gave pursuit. He was too slow, however, and the door to Lyle’ bedroom was already open when he got there (did Greenie open the door himself?). He rushed in, fully expecting to have to pull the monstrous lizard off his brother, only to see that Greenie was resting on Lyle’s lap.

Lyle was petting Greenie as if the situation weren’t bizarre––as if Greenie hadn’t been just six inches before... Right? Or maybe Marty had just imagined that. His memory wasn’t that great, after all, and Lyle had been the one to take care of Greenie. Not that Marty didn’t like Greenie––Greenie was a valued member of the family...

Why was he in here again?

Lyle finally had to have noticed Marty, as he peered up at him. “Oh, hey, bro. What’s up?” he asked. Greenie opened one eye, giving Marty a questioning look.

Marty simply shrugged, unable to recall why he had gone in here in the first place, and left.

~

Random strangers somehow knew Marty. He would walk down the street and have many wave and smile at him, greeting him cheerfully. Some would get his name wrong, but most called him Marty. It was as if he were a local celebrity, but that was far from the truth. He had been a great tennis player back when he was in high school, but there were other schools in... whatever the name of the city was. He wasn’t special.

Still, there was something about the attention that felt nice, and he found himself spending more time away from the apartment while Lyle spent more time behind. (“Someone’s gotta look over the place,” was his reasoning.)

In fact, Marty was enjoying a walk around the town when he accidentally bumped shoulders with somebody. “Sorry,” he said, looking back. He had apparently bumped into a dog, who was standing perfectly upright and wearing what looked like a dress.

“Oh, it’s alright, Marty,” the dog dismissed before continuing to walk.

Marty stared after the dog for several moments. Something seemed off about the animal, but Marty couldn’t place what; so, he turned back around and resumed his pace.

~

Marty opened his closet one day to see all of his clothes nearly the same, with some variations in the shades of colors. He then looked down to see the outfit he currently had on was just like the ones in the closet, despite not remembering putting it on.

He closed the closet, unable to care much. His old clothes wouldn’t have fit him, anyhow, with how short he was getting. It was normal to shrink, right? Right.

He exited his bedroom (which had become conjoined with Lyle’s bedroom about... well, he couldn’t remember when), and found Lyle and Greenie going over the mail (well, it was really just Lyle; Greenie was more concerned with the fruit bowl beside him).

Lyle sighed, handing over a letter to Marty. “It’s from Patricia,” Lyle explained in an accent he hadn’t had before.

Marty grabbed the pink letter from his hand, opening it with his thumb. He briefly felt that it was weird how she had sent a letter instead of a text message, but the feeling passed as soon as it came. He scanned over its contents.

Apparently Dania (whomever that was) had moved back to Egypt to reunite with her family, and Patricia was feeling lonely. She had been spending time with Tim, but she wanted to hang out with Marty if he had the time.

Marty decided to do just that, and left the house (didn’t they used to live in an apartment?) without giving Lyle any explanation as to where he was going.

Lyle was used to it at this point.

~

People kept getting Marty’s name wrong as he traveled back home. It was close enough, though, so Marty didn’t mind. In fact, he preferred the sound of the other name; perhaps he should consider adopting it...

When he entered his and Lyle’s house, Lyle was reading a newspaper with the headline “ **Animal Revolution Led By** ––”

Lyle laid down the paper on the table before Marty could finish reading. “We got a call, bro,” he explained, standing up and grabbing a toolbox. “Huge infestation down in the sewers. It should pay well.”

Marty nodded his head. “Okay,” he agreed.

Just like that, Marty and Lyle left, with the former faintly wondering when they had gotten this job.

~

Gravity became selective. The laws of physics changed. The concepts of life and death lost meaning. The plants walked. The pillows talked. The paper thought. Everyone smiled. No one questioned anything––not even when the world seemingly imploded, and everything became sharper.

This was what life had been, and what it will always be.

~

He sometimes lost control of his being, and could only watch as somebody else governed his body. Sometimes they were good, flawlessly executing actions; other times, they were awkward in his motions, and he would die often. It didn’t matter. Death was meaningless, anyhow.

As he was taking a walk, he completely froze against his will and was teleported somewhere else––a familiar stage. It was time again. He could feel them smile on the other side; this was their favorite game after all.

The player pressed the start button.

Unheard to the player, as voices weren’t supported yet, Mario shouted, “Let’s-a go!”

***gAMe OveR***

...  
>> The cheat code worked; the threat has been officially neutralized  
> I still don’t know about this.  
>> Look you know as well as me that we had to do it  
>> They had the capabilities to kill us off entirely; didn’t you see the papers detailing their weapons?  
>> And according to our research team they would have most likely used them against us  
>> They would have destroyed our people completely if we didn’t do what we did  
> You’re right. What now?  
>> In order for the digital confinement to remain strong there needs to be a near-continuous stimulus to continue the illusion; without it they could start to question their prison and break free of it  
>> It’s been proposed that it be released to the public packaged as a video game  
>> People will play it and those inside won’t have any reason to believe that anything’s wrong  
> But aren’t games not that popular right now? Seems like we’re just leaving luck to heaven and hoping for the best.  
>> It just takes one revolutionary item to revive an industry  
>> Our guys are working on the code; they’re going to make this game amazing  
>> And if it doesn’t work we’ll create a new game and try again and again  
> Seems like a stretch still.  
>> It’s our only shot at mass-scale constant stimulus  
>> Like you said we have no choice but to leave luck to heaven  
>> Our weaponry is nowhere near theirs  
>> They would have eventually found us with their spacecraft  
>> And based on their patterns of aggression they would attempt to annihilate us  
>> We had to strike first and this was our only option  
>> We just have to hope  
> I suppose so.  
> Just got notified to fix a glitch in the system. Did you too?  
>> Yes  
> We better go then, and give ourselves the best chance for this plan to work.  
>> Right  
//[REDACTED] logged out  
//[REDACTED_2] logged out

**Author's Note:**

> Well, hopefully the plot twist came as a surprise.
> 
> Also, the end probably comes as a stretch, but, eh.
> 
> Anyway, can you spot all the references?


End file.
